Tonight – Kitazawa Hachimangu Festival

This weekend it the big weekend of the year for the lovely Kitazawa Hachimangu in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward. Two full days of omikoshi, festival food, lots of people and great traditional performances. Last year saw lots of rain but there were a few moments when the skies let up and the omikoshi, the portable shrines could do the traditional runs up and down the steep stairs in front of the shrine. These omikoshi are quite heavy and there is really no safe way to control them once they get started so it is usually best to stay well clear of them, as one of the members found out when he was getting to close to the railings and had to escape. Luckily no one was injured last year and I hope this year’s festival will be safe and fun! Here’s some of my photos from last year! Enjoy!